Apparatus for inverting mine cars



J. T MORR!S 1,754,395

April 15, 1930.

Filed June 15, 1927 Patented Apr. 15, 1930 PATENT OFFICE JOHN THOMAS MORRIS, OF GLEN MORRISON, VIRGINIA APPARATUS FOR INVERTING MINE CARS Application filed. June 15,

This invention is an apparatusby means of i which mine cars and similar rolling stock may be readily inverted for purposes of inspection and repair.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a simple form of hoisting apparatus by means of which the car may be raised from its track and be suspended thereover during the inverting operation. A further object is to provide an apparatus of the character-men.- tioned having means for engaging the car in such manner thatit may be readily turned over or inverted While so suspended- The invention will be hereinafter fully set forth and particularly pointed out in the claims. i

In the accompanying drawing Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating an apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention. Figures 2 and 3 are side and front views respectively illustrating the bumper attachments. V

Referring to the drawing, 10 designates a frame work erected over a track upon which the cars to be operated upon may be brought into position. Said frame work may be constructed of any suitable material and in any desiredmanner. The upper part of the frame is provided with a longitudinal beam 11, to which are secured metal brackets 12, in which are rotatably mounted sheaves 13 and 14:. To one of the end bars 15 of the frame is also secured a bracket 16 which carries a rotatable sheave 17 Mounted to rotate in suitable bearings in the frame 10 is a drum 20, provided with gears 21 meshing with drive gears 22, on a crank shaft 23, which may be operated in suitable manner, as by means of a crank handle 24;. It is preferred to use a single hoisting cable one end of which is anchored to the beam 11 near one end thereof, as indicated at 25. The cable adjacent to thispoint is engaged with the sheave 13 so as to provide a loop 26. From the sheave 13 the cable passes around the sheavel, and then an intermedi ate portion is wrapped around the drum 20, the other end of the cable being preferably 1 passed through a hole at one end of the drum and then being passed out of another hole at 1927. Serial 1%. 199,011.

the other end of the drum, said holes not being shown. From the drum 20 the last mentioned end of the cable passes over the sheave 17, and the end is anchored to the other end of the beam 11 as indicated at the point 27, so as to provide a second loop 28.

The loops 26 and 28 are shaped to engage sheaves 30 which are rotatably mounted in suitable clips or brackets 31, adapted to engage the bumpers of thecar to be operated upon. Referring more particularly to Figures 2 and 3, it will be noted that each of said brackets or attachments consists of a U- shaped plate shaped to fit around a bumper 32 of a car. The sheaves 30 are each rotatably mounted upon a shaft 33, mounted in a bracket 31. The arms of the U-shaped brackets 31 are provided with openings which are positioned to register with similar openings in the bumper, so that the ordinary coupling pin 34 normally carried by the car, may be passed through said openings so as to removably connect the bumper attachments with the respective bumpers of the car.

In operation, a car is rolled within the frame work 10 beneath the bar 11, and the bumper attachments are placedin position upon the respective bumpers and connected thereto by means of the coupling pins 34. The cable loops 26 and 28 are then'placed around the sheaves 30 of the respective bumper attachments 31 so that when the cable. is operated said sheaves will rotate. The drum 20 is then rotated through the medium of the power shaft 23, so as to wind both strands a and b of the cable thereon. The eifect of this is to shorten the loops 26 and thereby raise the carfrom the track, the sheaves 3O rotating during the elevation. After the car has been elevated a suflicient distance, the

Weight of the car will ordinarily and automatically effect the inversion'of the car by reason of the rotative engagement between the sheaves 30 and the shafts 33, but if the movement does not take place automatically, the car may be readily inverted manually. After the car has been inverted, a reverse movement of the power shaft 13 will effect the lowering of the car so that it may be placed upon the ground, the running gear being thus exposed for inspection and repair, if necessary.

The advantages of the invention are read ily apparent to those skilled in the art to which it belongs. It will be particularly noted that a very simple and inexpensive mechanism is provided by means of which the cars may be readily raised and lowered. An important advantage lies in the means by which the cars may e easily and quickly connected with the hoisting apparatus, and securely retained in engagement therewith during its operation.

Having thus explained the nature of the in vention and described an operative manner of constructing and using. the same, although without attempting to set forth all of the farms, in which it may be made, or all of the terms ofits use, what is claimed is ;1.;;A-n apparatus -for inverting ears comprising car supporting attachments each havmeans for removablyengaging the ends of the car to be inverted and each provided with a relatively rotatable sheave, and hoist- 9 ing apparatus provided with spaced apart parallel cable loops positioned to engage said sheaves so that by shortening or lengthening loops said car may, be raised or lowered, said-attachments having non-rotative engagement with the car so that while the car is suspended by said loops it may be inverted by rotating the attachments with respect to the sheaves while said sheaves are held against rotation by said loops.

2. An apparatus for inverting cars comprising attachments having parallel arms constructed to straddle a car bumper, so that an attachment will be located at each end of the car, each attachment having a relatively rotatable sheave, means for detachably conneoting said arms to said bumpers, and hoisting aipparatus provided with spaced apart paral e cable loops positioned to pass around said sheaves, so that by shortening or lengtheningwsaidloops said car may be {raised or lowered, said arms preventing rotation of the attachment with respect tothe car, so that while the car is suspended by said loops it inverted by rotating the attachments wit respect to the sheaves while said sheaves are held from rotation by said loops.

8. An a paratus for inverting cars com: U- apedbrackets each having spaced apar't arms sha ed to straddle a car bumper so that .an attac iment will be located at each end of the car, each of said brackets having a relatively rotatable sheave, and hoisting apparatus provided with spaced apart parallei-cable loops positioned to vpass aroundsaid sheaves so that by shortening or lengthening the loops said car may be raised or lowered, arms preventing relative rotation of the brackets with respect tothebum-pers so that while the car is suspended said loops it may be inverted by rotating the attachments with respect to the sheaves while said sheaves are held from rotation by said loops.

4:. An apparatus for inverting cars comprising U-shaped brackets each having a body portion provided with spaced apart parallel arms shaped to straddle a car bumper so that an attachment will be located at each end of the car, a shaft fixedly projecting from the body of each bracket, sheaves rotatably supported by the respective shafts, means for detachably connecting said arms with said bumpers, and hoisting apparatus provided with spaced apart parallel cable loops positioned to pass around said sheaves so that by shortening or lengthening the loops said car may be raised or lowered, said arms preventing rotation of the brackets with respect to the bumpers, so that while the car is suspended by said loops it may be inverted by rotating the attachment with respect to the sheaves while said sheaves are held from rotation by said loops.

5. In an apparatus for inverting cars, a bracket formed of an approximately U-shaped plate provided with spaced apart parallel car engaging arms and an intermediate body portion connecting said arms, a fixed shaft projecting from said body portion, and a sheave rotatably mounted on said shaft.

6. In an apparatus for inverting cars, a bracket formed of a pair of approximately parallel car engaging arms connected at one end by a transverse body portion, a longitudinally disposed rigid shaft extending from said body portion, and a sheave rotatably mounted on said shaft.

7. An apparatus for inverting mine cars comprising a supporting frame provided with a longitudinally disposed overhead support member, a cable having both ends anchored to said support member in spaced relation with respect to each other, a'sheave-supported by said overhead member adjacent to one end of said cable, the portion of the cable between said sheave and the adjacent end being arranged in the form of a depending loop, a second sheave supported by said overhead member and disposed to rotate upon an inclined axis, said cable passing over both sheaves, a third sheave supported by said frame adjacent the other end of the cable and disposed on an axis at an angle to the axes of the other sheaves, the portion of the cable between the last mentioned sheave and the last mentioned end being arranged in the form of a second depending loop parallel with the first loop, car engaging devices mounted in said loops, and a drum engaging that portion of the cable intermediate between the second and third sheaves, so that said loops may be simultaneously and equally lengthened or shortened at will.

8. An apparatus for inverting mine cars comprising a frame provided with transversely disposed support bars and a longitudinally disposed support bar resting thereon, a cable having both ends anchored to said longitudinal support member in spaced relation with respect to each other, a sheave supported by said longitudinal member adjacent to one end of the cable, the portion of the cable between said sheave and the adjacent end being arranged in the form of a depending loop, a second sheave supported by said longitudinal member and disposed to rotate upon an inclined axis, said cable passing over both sheaves, a third sheave supported by one of said transverse support bars adjacent to the other end of the cable and disposed on an axis at right angles to the axes of the other sheaves, the portion of the cable between the last mentioned sheave and the last mentioned end being arranged in the form of a second depending loop parallel with the first loop, car engaging devices mounted in said loops, and cable operating means engaging that portion of the cable intermediate between the second and third sheaves so that said loops may be simultaneously and equally lengthened or shortened at will.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set In hand.

y JOHN THOMAS MORRIS. 

